Building Your Brick Oven: Option 3

Some of us have seen the humorous (not) placard in auto repair shops that reads: labor rate: $40/hr, if you watch: $50/hr, if you help: $60/hr.
Putting a different spin on that approach, I offer Option 3.
Option 1 of course is that I build your brick oven and many people like this (the same way that I like to keep my hands grease-less, and my knuckles un-skinned by handing my vehicle over to qualified mechanics who like to do that stuff).

Option 2 is where you gather information (from this blog and others), get the materials together and do the project yourself (a character building experience suited to many). You may also choose to build your first oven from cob, making the whole experience cheaper and faster, though less durable (see previous blog).

Option 3 allows you to build the oven of your dreams with an expert mason's help (me for instance). I've done this on occasion and in many ways I recommend it. Not only does it save you money (unlike the car mechanics) but you get to have a hand in the making, something that you will relish over the many years that you use your oven.

I'll pin-point a few reasons that this is a good option.
1. You won't need the special tools for cutting brick.
2. You  won't need the truck that carries the heavy materials.
3. When you come to a particularly gnarly point in the process, there's your friendly mason to guide you.
4. Sometimes, it's darned hard work and two is better than one.
5. It's the way we humans are intended to work and learn.

There are different kinds of investment. Time, money, and friendship. Option 3 saves you on the first two and adds to the third.